Interested in flamethrowers? Check out the XM42: https://xm42.com/
She’s a Flamethrower! Some of you will get the reference. Some of you won’t, and that’s okay (the rest of us forgive you). Perhaps you should crank up the volume and watch the video at the bottom of this page to ensure that you’re well rounded, culturally.
Freon and BBs. Why isn’t Umarex making one of these old classics?
When I started this review, I knew it would be fun. I’ve had this feeling before. In the late 70’s and early 80’s there was a product advertised in the back of magazines called the M-19A Annihalator BB Machine Gun. It looked somewhat like a the love child of Buck Rogers and a MAC-10, and had a hollow plastic body that you filled with BB’s (which were propelled by a 1lb can of Freon). You pulled the trigger and the M-19A spewed a stream of ice-cold BB’s .
Pulling the trigger on the XM42 is the same kind of fun, only a bit warmer. If you’ve ever held a Bic lighter in front of a can of WD40, the XM42 was made for you. If not, well we’ve got all kinds of super serious articles you might rather read, including one on screwdrivers. I recommend you go ahead an click on that one now and save yourself the headache.
Why don’t we all have Flamethrowers?
I have been trying to get my hands on a flamethrower since 1995, which was the year in which I found out that there are no state or federal laws regulating their purchase. The only problem was that most, if not all, of the military-grade flamethrowers out there dated from WWII, and had been rendered inoperable. By “rendered inoperable” I mean “cut into pieces and sold as scrap.” This left me with two options: try and weld one of those beauties back together, or build one myself. Both of these options seemed less than ideal, as I have always harbored a strong aversion to dying in a giant napalm cloud. Even the handful of working models I did find for sale were advertised as-is, where-is, with no guarantee that they would work at all when they made it to me. They all seemed to be more of a project than the “flame and forget” experience I was yearning for.
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The XM42. At long last.
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Problem Solved
The good folks at Ion Productions Team have cracked the code with the XM42 Flamethrower. No mixing required, no need to go get refills on expensive propellants, and it’s simple to operate! You just charge the battery, fill the tank with unleaded gasoline, and attach a butane bottle from your favorite camping store. Now push the power button, light the igniter, punch the hot button and bask in the glorious 25 feet of flaming freedom! This is pure American fun! You can’t help but smile at the prospect of grown men going the way of GI Joe in front of your eyes.
The pilot light takes a 8.5 ounce can of butane. These aren’t easy to find in under-stocked areas.
Let Freedom Ring
Now I’m sure some people out there are wondering why anyone would need such a thing. Need? Please! This has nothing to do with “need,” this is about Freedom. Without flamethrowers, the terrorists win! Of course, once you have your flamethrower fun, you’re going to be wondering what you can do with it aside from freaking out the wife, neighbors, animals and Facebook friends.
Never fear! I have come up with lots of practical uses. You could clear snow and ice, eliminate weeds between pavement cracks (with extreme prejudice), kick off controlled burns with a bang, or clear the ground of unwanted foliage. The XM42 is a great way to re-define insect control, do some kick-ass pyrotechnic event displays. It even allows you to start bonfires like a real American.
Now that I’m thinking about it, there are hundreds of household uses for the XM42. Light the grill. Use it as a cigar lighter. Strip paint. Burn those annoying autumn leaves before they even fall!
Kilgore was here.
And don’t underestimate the potential for celebrity impressions. Take off your shirt, throw on that tall black stetson and amaze your friends with the sensitivity of your Kilgore impression. ” The smell–you know, that gasoline smell, the whole hill…. Smelled like… victory. Someday this war’s gonna end….”
Facts
In all seriousness this XM42 really is simple. I took these lines from the product spec sheet and found them to be spot on.
“The XM42 is capable of generating flames reaching 25 feet in distance, with a full tank of fuel lasting over 35 seconds if continuously operated. When the tank is empty, simply open the fill cap, pour in fuel like a lawn mower, ignite the pilot torch, and reach out with a stream of fire!”
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The tank holds 1.5 liters of fuel.
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Specifications
- Weight: 7.41b (empty) 10.4lb (ready to run)
- Dimensions: 29.5″ L x 10″ W x 14.25″
- Materials: All aluminum/stainless steel construction with fluoroelastomer seals
- Fuel Capacity: 1.5 liters
- Recommended Fuel: Gasoline, gasoline-diesel mixture, denatured alcohol
- Pilot Ignition: Push button piezo start
- Battery: 11.1volt (35) lithium-polymer 2200mAh with XT60 connector
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The pump is housed in here.
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The battery compartment cover simply slips into the cavity and is held by gravity.
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The XM42’s utilizes an electric fuel pump powered by a rechargeable battery (included along with a charger) to spray fuel from a nozzle. The pressurized fuel is ignited by a butane torch mounted at the tip of the nozzle.
How far will it spray? 25 feet easy. Maybe more. The spray breaks up at longer distances and the fuel burns itself out. But a slight arc will carry the flame at least 25 feet.
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The Practical Difficulties
There are two things that have to be considered here. One is the search for butane. If you live in a large enough city, you should have no problem locating the butane. We actually lost an entire day at the range, though, because our intrepid Editor-in-Chief assumed he’d be able to pick up the butane necessary for priming the XM42 at any old store. Not so. The hardware stores didn’t carry the right size. And the local big-box catch-all retail behemoth sold the right size, only with the wrong nozzle. You should really make sure you have the butane before you head out to the range. Or suffer the extraordinarily depressing sadness that comes when you have a flame thrower full of gas, a range on which to shoot it, but no way to light it.
You can use the XM42 for backyard fun, if there are no local restrictions. Just use the obvious caution.
But that’s a one-time-mistake. We won’t make it twice. The real difficulty comes when you try to find someplace to shoot this thing. Let’s be clear. It is a flamethrower. It throws flames. This tends to freak some people out. We all know those asshole R.O.s at ranges who like to ensure that you don’t have too much fun (even when you are obeying every safety precaution). Imagine asking for permission to shoot your flamethrower. It doesn’t go over well.
So some ranges will simply say no. And, depending on where you live, I wouldn’t suggest firing it up on the street. So where do you shoot it? Where can you go?
There’s no denying that the thing is dangerous. Or it can be. But it doesn’t have to be. Napalm is a substance designed to stick and burn where it lands. The gasoline doesn’t have the same staying power. It is designed for combustion. It burns itself out quickly. It will still catch other flammable objects on fire, no doubt, but it is very manageable. Be safe. Know your local laws. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Use your head. Never–under any circumstances–utter the words “Hey Bubba, watch this!” before pulling the trigger. That’s just asking for trouble.
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Inside, the battery and wires are easily accessible.
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Push the red button to ignite the pilot.
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The bottom line
The XM42 is made from high-grade materials (both in the construction of the body and the wiring). It looks to be very durable. This flamethrower is not crafted like a toy; it’s made for serious, long-term fun. The MSRP is $999.00 with about a 6-8 week lead-time. You can order one on their web page at https://store.xm42.com/category-s/106.htm. There are some choices of finish: polished aluminum (what I have) for $25.00 more, or you can select a powder coating and have any color you’d find in a bag of skittles.
Looks like my hunt for a practical flamethrower is finally over. And it is made in Troy, Michigan! If you find yourself with the insatiable craving for a real American flamethrower, I highly recommend you treat yourself to one of these.
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Great article and commentary. However, it’s, “Kilroy was here”. Otherwise, spot on. 🙂
It’s quite a bit more…about $1600 or so …but I plan on buying the X15 flamethrower with part of my tax refund this year.
Backpack design with wand.Can use gas or diesel…they sell a gel compound to make napalm…uses a small CO2 tank and a propane torch (ignitor only) along with the larger tank. Color choices as well.
Like the difference between a KelTec or Taurus and a nice 1911. Good to have choices.
You can build your own version of the X15 (looks practically the same) with this guys book. He says it only costs $400 to buy all the parts, way cheaper than $1600!
https://flamethrowerplans.com/welcome
Ya’ll need to lighten up! Joking aside seems way overpriced and the design seems poor. The gas tank connection looks like a weak point, imho.
Yet again, the slack-jawed, inbred, bubba, proud ‘Murican contingent of gun owners illustrates how they are their own worst enemy by giving the anti crowd fuel for their machine (just like every gun-related “reality show” on cable). This article seems to have been written by a 12 year old, or someone with the intelligence level of a 12 year old. If you thought that “Sons of Guns” was a good TV show, you’ll no doubt think that this new toy for the low-IQ testosterone-challenged is a great product. Thanks, Guns’Murica.
Why even come to the site? Why?
Go troll Bloomberg’s home page…or wherever you anti-gun people hang out.
Because this kind of idiocy will directly impact my business.
Anti-gun? Not quite.
You might try Googling my name.
Dewey Vicknair
How will this affect your business Dewey. Nice site by the way “I don’t list my prices…” blah blah. You’re a pretentious pud.
When I was a young teen I was staying at my friends house, I had just gotten out of the shower and noticed a cockroach climbing up the wall. So remembering a scene from a James bond movie where he killed what I believe was a cobra snake using an areosol spray and a lighter as a small flame thrower. I grabbed a can of rightguard deordorant and a bic lighter. Much to my surprise, it worked just like in the movie except the cockroach got away and the wall caught fire. I was able to put it out quickly with a wet towel but my friends parents were none too happy. My point being, even as that incident scared the crap out of me, I would still like to have one of these flamethrowers but I wouldn’t spend a thousand bucks for one. If you can afford it, I say go for it.
Freedom is for a moral people,immoral people need governed really immoral people need tyranny to control them.
For some people freedom is too dangerous.
This is a interesting device I’d likely try once and set aside.id much rather have a select fire rpk.but if you want a flamethrower and are not harming others have a blast.
Lots of Buzz Killingtons and party poopers up in here.
The XM42 is cool and all but how about the X15 could you do a review on that joker. It is the real deal.
https://throwflame.com/products/flamethrower/
No gang banger or home invader is going to plunk down $1000 and wait 6 to 8 weeks for one of these to rob a house.
Gee whiz. I wonder if it is within the realm of possibility that some POS could possibly enter the shop where they are sold and actually steal one. Do you think there are bad people out there. Or will the bad guys say; “Oh no. I don’t want to burn anyone – I’m a nice thug.”
Don’t you just hate people that think they are so much smarter than everyone else? Me too!!
I think morons and asshats cause more grief driving and using their cellphones to text and browse/read/navigate/media-ate you get the drift.
Is it dangerous…..hell yes, that’s part of the draw to it. If we were afraid to be innovative due to danger, we would all still be living in caves with a f-ing unibrow eating grass and seedpods.
Responsibility starts with the individual, and if that one is an idiot, sure it will suck for the innocent life or lives affected. But I state once again, people are more dangerous behind the freaking steering wheel with and iPhone than a few nutjobs that get their hands on the money to buy this.
Again yes its cool, I wouldn’t buy one, I live in the dry tinderbox formerly known as Kalifornia.That my Compadres is common-fu¢king-$ense. Be well.
I DO NOT agree with the fella that thinks these should be banned. SILLY. But let’s get real. This is not a weapon. It’s a ego-gratifying toy. Range=25 feet. 8 or 9 paces. It uses plain gasoline not jellied gasoline. It will burn out in just a couple of seconds. If it used jellied gasoline, carried a 2 or more gallon tank and had an effective range of 75 to 100 feet it would be on my MUST HAVE list but this version is nothing but a grownup toy.
I was reading a federal FFL book a few years ago, and it said we can’t make flame throwers. Now I’ll have to look again for the citation. Flame throwers, along with Molotov Cocktails are illegal in many places. Look under arson laws at the state level. I suspect many state AGs and the ATF will issue a determination letter advising people to not violate the law. There are lawful uses for wildfire management. Don’t get too anxious about getting your next toy.
Right on! Well said!
Gives an entirely new meaning to the word “toasted.” That said, yeah, this is an item just waiting to be abused… Similar to that exploding material that goes “ka-boom” when hit by a bullet… Then a year or so ago some person looking for a new shooting range experience touched off a pretty nasty Western forest fire.. At our gun club someone trotted down to the 200-range, stuck some of this gunk up and then proceeded to blow away a goodly portion of the range’s wooden target stand… Funny thing is, once the guy did the little “oopsy” he exited far right… Needless to say, that exploding target stuff that looked so cool on “Top Shot” is no longer permitted on the club’s premises.. Yeah, I can see where a legal flame thrower is going to draw some legislative heat.. Nuts, sorry once again…
I still want one…..as for the neggy nellies, go live somewhere else, Mexico, Syria… They have lots of room for you!
Loved the article and personally I wouldnt touch that trigger without a very wet blanket within reach. Call me cautious.
If people want a flame thrower, so be it. I think it’s a cool item. I’m not the type to go out and burn someone, but you come to my house and try to rob me, I’ll use whatever needs necessary to protect what is mine. I protect my family and all my belongings. If you are the type that doesn’t believe in the flame thrower, then don’t bother the ones who do believe in it. This is America people, grow up.
If you want one, probably best to get it before it’s banned, which is inevitable, IMO. (Not advocating here it should be banned, just being realistic considering liberal media and legislators.)
Local, state and/or federal bans likely, even before some kid toasts up something he shouldn’t have, as this is just too news expose attractive when filmed in action.
– Shane
PS – Would like to see how it would work, with bigger tank, for burning cactus needles down here in Texas during droughts. Ranchers commonly refer to it as ‘chamuscando,’ the Spanish word for the process of burning off spines from prickly pear cactus so cattle can eat the pads for food and water. Kerosene back in the day, then butane and now propane is what they use.
What a great way to repel boarders, and send those Somali pirates packing. But aside from that application, not many good applications come to mind. I think I’ll just stick to my SAW and a mixture of tracers and incendiary bullets. But this is (or was) supposed to be “the land of the free, and the home of the brave”, though you’d never know it now days when we are inundated by all the comments, and legislation proposed, by the liberal, tree hugger crowd, and peacenicks out there. And personally I can’t think of a more just desert for ANY would be home invaders, rapists, or aggravated repeat offenders I might come across, as long as I don’t have to clean up the mess.
Anybody thinking about using one in a firefight, better fashion a little body armor over that fuel canister.
Hitting that, creating crispy critter, will be job #1 of anybody seeing this operator coming down the street.
– Shane
On a lighter note than most of these comments…
My wife came home with one of those M-19A Annihlator BB machine guns for $2 from a yard sale several years ago. It was fitted with the optional Milton male Quick-Connect to hook to an air compressor. What a blast! Inside of 3 minutes I had accidentally shot out the windshield of one of my cars. The BBs are a pretty loose fit in the barrel and kind of go where they want. It gives that Terminator feel for sure, probably not unlike the featured item and I can totally appreciate why the author chose to include reference to it 🙂
Great article, great product, typical collection of worry-filled “tut-tut” worst-case scenario reactions. Why are there so many people these days who think they have act as the fun police, swooping in with sirens wailing? If every product that had potential for harm was banned from ownership then, well, we’d be left with, hmmm…can’t think of anything…
This would be great if you were facing multiple attackers.
Umarex does not make a Freon powered BB gun because it is illegal to release Freon into the air. I have two Estes-Vashon “Cold Power” model rockets new in the wrappers that cannot be launched because they use freon for power and to eject the parachute. More than a decade since it was legal and one reason you have a different coolant in your car A/C unit.
You left out the obvious thing, ant hills .
This has a serious use for controlled burns. It allows you to be in a safe area when starting a burn. The drip type fire starters mean you are in the dry foliage and could be overtaken by the fire. Especially if wind shifted.
As a kid I used a metal portable sprayer as makeshift flame thrower. Mostly lit from burning trash. Thanks effect of gas on rubber nearly went up in flames. An engineered and safe flame thrower is welcome alterative. Criminals already use Molotov cocktails and containers of gas to burn people. They are not going to spend money on this.
Mo better, way mo better for the money! Hell yeah, get some!
Open my inbox and see: “Civilian Legal Flamethrower”, I think what the….? Flame throwers are not illegal. Or even regulated as far as I know.
Then in the second section: “there are no state or federal laws regulating their purchase.”
There’s click bait advertising and then there is stating near falsehoods. While the statement is correct it intimates that most flame throwers are illegal. Is the state of the net so bad that no one can survive without making outrageous claims just to get you to click their link?
One thing not mentioned in the article; what is the life span of the battery on one charge?
This is the nest article I’ve read yet.
Somebody is going to get burnt badly and the resulting law suit will end this nonsense.
what a horrible idea this thing is. what idiocy in these photos, firing this gadget a few feet from grass, brush and trees. you know good and well the first people to get these will be the hapless drunken mouth breathers on your block who can’t be trusted with kitchen matches, let alone burning gasoline, the same guys who fire off bottle rockets over their own houses on july fourth.
the gun/freedom analogy is weak here. one bullet in an instant of negligence can kill one person, maybe two if they’re really unlucky, but one spark can kill many people, leave thousands homeless and destroy millions worth of property. http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1226
For those who don’t want to get roasted from some nut job . . . learn to hit a target at 26 Ft. There . . .problem solved.
The comments are certainly not middle of the road on this one. You either love it or hate it. For those of you who think this will revolutionize the ways people hurt each other, guess again. How many people were mowed down by flachette loaded shotgun shells? Burned beyond recognition by the Dragons Breath Shells? I don’t know, but I’ll bet it’s few to none. Way less than were beaten to death by golf clubs. The can cannon, as unbelievable cool as that is, sold 4000 units. I bet this sells 1000, tops. That said, my friend has one and swears its the most fun he’s had since, well, the can cannon.
I’ve spent the last 37 years in Alabama in the security industry installing and servicing fire and burglar alarms, 26 of them running my own business. Breaking into houses is a dangerous business for the felons. 1st: the homeowner may shoot you. 2nd: the police will spend any amount of money to find you. 3rd: the law is set up for maximum sentences. 20 to life for 1st offence is normal.
Home invasions are usually crimes of opportunity: expensive house, open front door. Burglars prefer to call first and nock on front door to ensure no one is home, then kick door open and be gone in 3-5 minutes (always less than police response time). Laws are written to increase penaties if a victim is involved: shooting into an occupied or unoccupied house (or vehicle), burglary vs robbery.
In 37 years and over 3000 alarms only 2 customers were at home when burglary occured. Of the 2, 1 was a rape and the burglar fled in the 2nd. After installing an alarm, only 1 break in with homeowner present. Siren blaring, homeowner on phone to 911. Burglars fled and caught within 6 blocks. Life sentences for all.
Flamethrower falls into the chain saw weapon category: possible but hardly probable. If you’re afraid, pack a fire extinguisher. You probably won’t need it for a flamethrower, but it still might come in handy. Or maybe a gun? Better range and higher probably of need.
Those who seem to dislike the idea of American ingenuity/capitalism in action are likely the same folks who are glad new machine guns cannot be legally transferred. WTF? No thugs are using expensive machine guns to mug little old ladies and they will not be using this gadget to mug anyone either.
I guess the folks not approving of this new toy are also the “zero tolerance” crowd when weapons are in schools. I’ve got news for you – WEAPONS are REQUIRED ITEMS FOR ALL STUDENTS TO BRING TO CLASS. By age 9, I was trained to insert a number 2 pencil in a lethal manner. In my high school years, kids with parental permission had a smoking area where they could go and smoke cigarettes. I wonder how many girls had a small can of hairspray in their purse that could be used as a flamethrower with their cigarette lighter? I’ll bet nobody could pull up an old news article saying a hairspray flamethrower was used as a weapon by a student thug.
Lighten up folks, this is AMERICA!
Those No. 2 pencils do penetrate well. A fellow 9th grader stabbed me in the leg, it went in about 2 inches. The teacher said walk it off. I was pissed since it put a hole in my jeans. It healed just fine. It could have been in my head, and it would have killed me. Environmental weapons, like hammers or chunks of firewood will kill when the user so desires.
Dear Editor:
This review reads like a 13 year old reviewing the latest and greatest Nerf gun. This is an adult topic, please assign an adult to re-write it.
I have a large amount of acreage and am always looking for a better method to get my stump piles burning after doing some clearing. This may be the ticket, although it is a lot more expensive than a few gallons of diesel fuel…
For me the deal breaker would be having to keep it in the garage with the lawn mower and the gas cans. I sure would not want it in the house or my gun room smelling of gasoline. Also the potential for a fire from any gasoline that might possibly leak from it is a BIG turn off, even in the garage.
I bought the next best thing, a box Dragon’s Breath 12 gauge
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E8niD-n0lHk
For all the whiners, so scared of this little more than expensive toy, go cry yourself to sleep!
If you are so stupid that you see more danger in this flame thrower than all of the cars on the road, then you really should stop breathing now, as you are using too much oxygen up.
Watch the news, how many people were listed as having died in an automobile crash this morning???
“There were 30,057 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2013 in which 32,719 deaths occurred.”
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/state-by-state-overview
This is the latest year complete information is available for that I am able to find.
Where is the massive outrage against driving? Where is the boycotting of roads, builders of roads, why are they even allowing bridges?????
Think about it to all you poor fools that are so certain being a P.C. cry baby is the only way to be in the world!
You want to ban something, then ban being P.C., ban being so cowardly that all you can do is whine about how afraid you are!
Now those are a couple of movements I would get behind. 🙂
This should not be supported whatsoever I really think this is going to far, next some nutcase like the one using it will kill a bunch of children TAKE THIS ADD DOWN.
So some nutcase can’t use something else to kill a bunch of children? Maybe a drunk in a car? Maybe ??? We should outlaw and never speak about anything that could be used as a weapon, right? Ok, folks, no more cars. And definitely outlaw beer. I want to see the statistics of how many drunk drivers kill children as opposed to flame throwers.
What ‘freedom’ looks like? OR what ‘abuse of freedom’ looks like?
I say it looks like the later to me. People have the notion that freedom is ‘doing what ever want’, ‘owning whatever you want’, the absence of order. Freedom is not disorder, freedom is not doing whatever you want or owning whatever you want. You can’t own whatever you want anyway! There are still arms that are and will always be illegal, so does that mean we are not free? Or does the ability to own a flamethrower make us free? Equating these types of things to ‘freedom’ is absurd.
People like this man, the company who manufactured this, and all who buy this, make all responsible, pro 2nd Amendment gun owners look horrible!
This article really takes the wrong tone and it’s going to come back and bite you.
Listing off all kinds of fun things you could do with this flame thrower only lends weight to the argument that we’re all irresponsible nutjobs trying to get our hands on the most dangerous equipment we can legally have, and that we can’t be trusted to be sober responsible adults.
It’s bad enough trying to explain to my anti-gun friends/family why AR15s and other “scary” looking guns shouldn’t be banned. When you start showing flame throwers on the news they’re going to think we’ve really lost our minds and they’ll ban flamethrowers and probably several other categories of weapons as part of an anti-WMD bill or something.
Also from a fear standpoint I don’t want to get roasted whether by some psychopath or by accident from some Bubba at the range. Please stop promoting flamethrowers.
Please don’t promote this, In the hands of Deranged minds it could spell tragic results by accident or intent.
So do cars and guns. Criminal misuse of anything should be harshly punished. Please don’t drink and/or get high then drive….
I have been to burn units, I have seen what fire can do to people, places, and things. However, as the article states..BE SAFE, use only some where that can accommodate a weapon such as this, for it is a weapon no doubt. Use your head for something more than a hat rack, as long as safety protocols are in place one should be able to have a lot of fun. I doubt seriously that the good folks at Guns America would advise a body to just go willy nilly with a device such as this.
Me personally, I would LOVE ta have one of these in my arsenal, if for nothing more than the coolness factor, and that I have something no one else has. At ten lbs its no light weight, but then again its not the 80lb beasties the guys in WWII had to lug around. I know it only takes a split second and there can and have been catastrophic injuries from even a .22 pistol.
I had a 24 year career in law enforcement, both in front of and behind bars. Worked asa cop for ten years and some moths, left as the assistant chief in a small town in NW Pa. Went on to a 14 year career at a state prison, mixed in to all that was 16 years Army service. I have seen a lot of nasty things in all that time, lost a lot of friends when the scud missile exploded in or near the barracks back in 91 during Desert Storm I am still carrying pieces of that event both physically and mentally, it is not something one soon forgets, seeing friends missing parts of their body, or worse…burnt..no fun.
But, after all is said and done, I would still like to have one of these in my arsenal. However as a 100% disabled vet, the basically $1000 price tag prohibits me from ordering one of these bad boys. Uncle Sam just doesn’t provide hardly enough to survive on let alone be able to afford luxuries such as this. Someday maybe, when our country turns around and pulls its head out of its ass and gets back on track, will I then be able to afford one. Or, if some really nice person out there out of the goodness of their heart were to buy one for me…I sure wouldn’t complain lol.
Its all about using your head, a steak knife can kill you, you cars’ gas tank could explode with you inside. A lot of things every day things can end our life very sudden like. When its your time, its your time, if you use your head, it doesn’t have to come sooner rather than later. Live life, can’t fear the what ifs, yea, maybe this is an accident waiting to happen…then again…maybe not. Be well, be safe, God bless.
I’m sorry your disability check doesn’t let you buy a flamethrower.
Wait, what?
Also the author does list off a ton of things you can do with this that you shouldn’t do, which sounds a lot like going “willy nilly”. I would rather see an article that talks about safely using something like this and shows pictures of burns as well as first aid for burns so people take this seriously and aren’t standing around on the fourth of July blasting it into the air.
Thanks for your service. Hope that things work out so that you can somehow afford one of these.
I think it’s cool and made in my home town is even better. It’s as practical as using tannrite for target shooting and equally as fun. The left wing posers demanding the article be taken down should relize that liberty, free speech, and the pursuit of happiness, doesn’t always reflect your definition of it. At $1000, thugs aren’t going to buy one for home invasion or revenge.
LIGHTEN UP PEOPLE, it’s NOT a toy!
i have seen more danger on YouTube from idiots experimentin with stuff that’s held together with hot stick glue!
Well, it cost a grand. That will keep a lot of people away from it. Second, it’s not really a “weapon”. ANYTHING can be a weapon depending on how it’s used, even a screwdriver or nail gun, but this thing is more of a novelty. I can see it being used AS A TOOL by someone burning a fire break or even by a forest service for lighting a back fire, or something like that. Would come in handy for such things. But other than that it’s more of a novelty item, and few will pay $1000 just for something to play with. I don’t think we have to worry about criminals running around with them, though it would be a good arsonist tool…
Gee Jon, did you ever wonder WHY all those old WWII flame throwers were deactivated?
This is the perfect accessory for overweight tactical wannabes who never served in the military, but want to play backyard soldier while yelling “get some!!”
Lighten up Francis
i actually served 2 tours in the Corps and am their 9th official order, so your statement is pointless.
Very cool, but I did not see anything that warranted a $1,000.00 price tag. Maybe I am just being naive, or maybe since they are the only ones making one, they think that they can charge whatever they think the market will bear.
Oh, Lord. Just wait til the Brady Bunch, et al, gets wind of this one…
Some drug funded urban youth will almost certainly try for a new record and y’all will rightfully have hell to pay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Land_fire
I’ve always wondered about getting one of these for purely non-violent purposes: Cleaning the last bits of snow off of the driveway in the winter.
I’m sorry, but this is one weapon so horrifying that no ethical person should ever bring this to market. Imagine a home invasion and someone decides to roast you and your family with one of these?…And there’s something wrong with ME if I’m not excited and eager to get one?!…Have you ever been to a hospital burn center and seen the permanent disfigurement and agony caused by fire or acid? – I cringe at the thought of this being for sale. I could never use this on a person – but someone evil enough will use it on YOU. Please ‘GunsAmerica’, take down this article and don’t be privy to this idea. The weapon for a civilized man is a gun.
Yes, because they couldn’t just roast you with a gallon of gasoline and a match.
Who let the prohibitionists in?
Al is a pooh pooh pile. I like SubZero’s idea! Just buy a freeze ray if you don’t like the flamethrower! Maybe frostbite is more appealing to some.
LH Oswald, a “goat head” by any other name….. Walk any more guns to Mexico lately? smh in disgust.
I hope you are kidding. If not, please turn in your “man” license at the door and go home and finish your needlepoint.
As with any item/tool , it is a matter of application. Oh yeah and common sense does come into play. There will always be some idiot (who should probably be eliminated from the gene pool) who will cause havoc in a civilized community. I have been to burn centers and many an ER but don’t try to use scare tactics on the populace who observe our rules and regulations. I feel you run around looking for the sky to fall and forever telling Ralphie he will put his eye out!
So lets stop selling knives or sharp objects, or anything some thug can do damage with and lets go live in fear in the corner of our house with our gun! It’s $1000, do you really think some punk is gonna spend a grand to roast you and yours? Why not just buy a can of gas and lighter? Your probably the same kinda person that would be against “assault” rifles. It only reaches 30 ft, max, how far does your gun reach?
Agree this is going to end up really bad somewhere
Gee, that sounds just like all the gun grabber’s fears about guns. A weapon is only bad if it is used by a bad person. The same is true for all arms including flame throwers, which can also be made using a five gallon pressurized yard sprayer filled with gasoline/kerosene mixture and a butane cylinder feeding a separate line for the flame that ignites the gas/kerosene mixture. The homemade one would only cost about one hundred dollars.
What a wuss you are. I bet you’re one of those guys who thinks no-one needs a 30 round magazine (but you probably call it a clip…. 🙁 ) or an evil assault rifle and supported the 1986 ban on newly made machine guns for regular citizens.
I can tell you know NOTHING about criminals whereas I investigate, arrest and incarcerate them on a daily basis. No gang banger or home invader is going to plunk down $1000 and wait 6 to 8 weeks for one of these to rob a house. Firstly, they don’t possess $1K to spend on something like this; their weapon of choice is anything cheap like guns stolen from unlocked vehicles (yes, dear reader, 99% of auto burglaries occur when the vehicle is left unlocked with goodies inside, lock your damn doors people!) which usually sell for about $100 plus some illegal drugs.
Secondly, they want to be in and out of a house ASAP, grabbing whatever they can of maximum value before getting the hell out of Dodge. That is why they are invading the house, to steal stuff. Its kinda hard to grab the goodies when you SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE WITH A FLAMETHROWER! I mean, seriously, did you think before you typed your inane response??
Let me clue you in on something bub; this is America and if its legal, people can own what they damn well please. The 2nd Amendment isn’t about duck hunting nor plinking; its about having arms suitable for the defense of the Constitution against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. This flame thrower fits the bill for that use but its also fun which I guess is an alien concept to you cuz you come off as the kind of guy who collects stamps or gravel for ‘fun.’ I personally won’t buy one because I live in an area where the fire danger level is high for the majority of the year, I have better things I would use more often to spend a thousand dollars on and I just can’t justify spending that kind of cash on a toy but I would NEVER try to regulate or dissuade others from owning one. It’s call freedom for a reason…..
The arms of a ‘civilized man’ is whatever is to hand at the moment of need; flame thrower, hand gun, AR with 100 round drum or piece of rebar. Hopefully now you understand how idiotic, childish and flat out wrong your post is on every single level. If not, well, you’re beyond help; consider moving to Canada, they might be more your speed……. 😉
You’re stereotyping me as a ‘Progressive’ or a statist: I am a staunchly pro-gun retired Federal Peace Officer; and I don’t revel in seeing flamethrowers coming into vogue or people being set on fire: Go live in South Africa for that. I would sooner support everyone have a cannon or LAW rockets unregistered. If you don’t like that then tough.
There are no such things as “Federal Peace Officers”
what do you call a federal Marshal, dumbbell?
You may be a federal “whatever” but you seem to be ready to violate your oath of office to uphold the constitution. Maybe you need to try reading it and join Oath Keepers to get a clear picture of why your post is anti- freedom.
You seem to have a typical federal mentality.
George….you sound like the type of police we need in this country to make it great again….
That’s the biggest batch of Bullshit I have ever seen in writing. Keep you dumb ideas to yourself ..
A proud gun owner and shooter
No, and I repeat, no, bad guy is going to spend $900 for one of these. Relax.
Ok, then. I understand your point. That being the case, we should DEFINITELY ban axes. This is one weapon so horrifying that no ethical person should ever bring axes to market. Imagine a home invasion and someone decides to axe you and your family with an axe? And there’s something wrong with ME if I’m not excited and eager to get a new axe? Have you ever been to a hospital and seen someone with the disfigurement and agony caused by an axe? I cringe at the thought of axes being for sale, and could never use an axe on a person – but someone evil enough will use it on YOU. Please, GunsAmerica, don’t ever print an axe article and don’t be privy to this idea. The weapon for a civilized man is a gun. (these words should look familiar)
(insert the word chainsaw, fork, knife, shotgun, machine gun, car, truck, space ship, or whatever you like in place of “axe” if that makes you happy)
Your problem is your last statement: “The weapon for a civilized man is a gun”. Well, how about a weapon for civilized man is whatever he has available to protect his life and his family’s life? Gun, knife, flamethrower, thermonuclear weapon – what’s the difference? Any item used as a weapon, buy an “uncivilized” man against another man is a tragic, horrible thing.
It’s not the tool – it’s the person operating the tool. Otherwise, we need to get rid of Nerf footballs, because one -could- be killed/maimed/etc. with a Nerf football.
Would I go out and buy a flame thrower? Nope, and I have no desire to even play with one. Is a flamethrower dangerous? Well, that’s kind of OBVIOUS, isn’t it?
Common sense makes the most sense.
You’re probably right; but I’m not saying we should ban anything – not even the flamethrower. I just cringe at the thought of burning somebody alive. If that makes me a “wuss” than so be it.
Really? So the firebomb raids by Uncle against Tokyo and the Dresden horror were ok then?
HELL YES. If you can find a WWII soldier ask him.
your panties are showing.
you are a fing idiot find a long cliff and drive off please.
Hello Al,
While your worried about this toy that can spit fire our administration just gave billions to a country known to harbor and aid terrorists. No US inspectors allowed. They get to determine when IAEA Inspectors are allowed. You talk about burns in the emergency room. How about waking up one day to a mushroom cloud with burns on a massive scale. Yet your worried about a toy.
It isn’t being marketed as a weapon, and it really doesn’t strike me as a practical weapon for a home invasion. As cool of an item it appears to be, I can’t think of a practical use I can put it to.
No, not for a home invasion motivated by money; but by thugs agitated into random violence as in Ferguson style riots.
This is not a molotov cocktail but a device that discharges a stream of napalm. I admit it’s not much different than a weed burner; but while I wouldn’t ban it, I wouldn’t promote it’s use as a weapon either (isn’t that the premise of a zombie target?) Let’s not go there is what I’m saying.
It would sure scare the crap out of any rioters wanting to burn down your store. And you wouldn’t even have to actually set anyone on fire. Just seeing a stream of flame coming out of the store and lighting up a line across the entire front of the store would scare the crap out of all of the rioters ready to loot then burn you out.
This does not discharge napalm which sticks to everything it gets sprayed on. It sprays gasoline according to the article.
actual lead time on this is over 12 weeks and counting so far. I ordered mine the morning they starting taking orders on 6/10 and still have no idea when it will finally ship. They have had delays in manufacturing and have done some modifications to their original design which have been for the better and the team at ION has been sending out updates to keep their customers informed, which is a good thing.
Good grief!!! Can you imagine one of those nut cases getting their hands on one of these things and heading out to the local school or restaurant?
But what about those evil 5 gallon gas cans that someone could use with 5 gallons of gas and an evil rock to break your window open with, along with a match? Your entire house would be burnt to the ground just as fast. Those items are now just as legal, and MUCH MUCH cheaper too. 40.00 or less depending on gas and gas can prices, and less than a penny for most matches… Oh the horror! We better ban these things too because anyone can afford that!!!!!
Your totally wrong! This is a defensive weapon like a pump shot gun. As a retired police office in the inner city, more riots were broken up by the sound of six officers racking up a pump shot gun. Only had to file one volley over the rioters once. But most disbursed just from the noise I mentioned before. Now think of what would happen with six cops just lighting them up. Like I said great defense weapon.
Prior to 9-11 the largest case of murder in NYC was done with 2 gallons of gasoline, when an idiot poured gas on the stairs to a dance club. Over 80 people died. But, to argue that this is a bad immoral weapon and should be outlawed, is dumb. The same argument people use to get gun laws passed. It is the unlawful use that matters, just like when a gun or car are misused. I have no desire to own a flame projector, but my lack of interest shouldn’t stop anyone else. I don’t see a need outside of specialty application, like wildfire control.
Al, let me reinform you how Cain killed Abel with a rock. Evil exist in man inside of the person, not in his tools! Personally there should be No Restrictions on what law abiding citizens can and should own. If someone wants a flame thrower, tank, F-16 fighter plane, I say let them be able to own one!
If you don’t like it then buy my “FREEZE RAY” instead!
Oh Boy just what the world needs, some idiots setting everything they can see on fire. don’t we have enough forest fires for you morons to roast your wieners on? This is a real kids idea of fun
Can’t wait to get this flame thrower on my drone!!!!! and my neighbor go on vaca. His dog is toast. Any other ideas out there??? Just kidding folks but it does look like a lot of fun. Any way to make to go 25 yards and now ur talking, huh?
Burning wasp nests is another practical purpose.
Don’t let the fact that wasp nests are usually attached to a building discourage you.
I love the smell of Napalm in the morning!!! 🙂